The Owen Sound Attack will look to bounce back from a disappointing road trip when they play host to the Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The only meeting of the year at the Bayshore between the two sides, Owen Sound (16-18-2-5, 4th Midwest) has dropped three straight games while Hamilton (27-9-3-3, 1st East) has won each of their past three outings.

Looking to make a long run in the Eastern Conference, the Bulldogs retooled heavily at the OHL’s trade deadline, adding World Junior Gold Medalist Robert Thomas in a trade with the London Knights, while also picking up hulking defenceman Nicolas Mattinen from the Flint Firebirds.

Thomas immediately becomes Hamilton’s leading scorer, with his 49 points in 29 games putting him three ahead of Montreal Canadiens prospect Will Bitten for the Bulldogs’ lead.

Owen Sound will be bolstered by the return of their captain, Jacob Friend, to the lineup after the Los Angeles Kings’ prospect was suspended for the previous four games after an illegal check to the head against the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday, Jan. 6.

The Attack continue to be paced offensively by Nick Suzuki, whose 52 points on the season has him in a tie for 9th in Ontario Hockey League scoring.

Draft eligible forward Aidan Dudas is enjoying a breakout year offensively as well, chipping in with 42 points in 41 games thus far. That point output – which has come via 19 goals and 23 assists, has doubled the Parry Sound native’s rookie point total of 21 points in 56 games.

Puck drop for Wednesday night’s game, which will feature a pre-game ceremony honouring World Junior Championship participants from both the Attack and the Bulldogs, is set for 7:00pm and will be broadcast live on Rogers Local 53.

Tickets are available at the MacVicar & McComb ReMax Attack Box Office, online at www.attackhockey.com, or by calling 519-371-7452.

This season of Attack Hockey is brought to you by Lerners Personal Injury Lawyers and Bertrand & Muzzell Paralegal Services.B

Ontario Hockey LeagueGuzda and Suzuki lead Attack to win over BulldogsGreg Cowan, Pincher Creek EchoBy Greg Cowan, Owen Sound Sun TimesWednesday, January 17, 2018 10:07:19 EST PMAttack goaltender Mack Guzda makes a save on MacKenzie Entwistle during a Bulldogs' power play in the first period of Owen Sound and Hamilton's first meeting of the season at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Greg Cowan/The Sun TimesAttack goaltender Mack Guzda makes a save on MacKenzie Entwistle during a Bulldogs' power play in the first period of Owen Sound and Hamilton's first meeting of the season at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Greg Cowan/The Sun Times

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Mack Guzda is big, athletic, quick, and young.

Three of those qualities are great for a goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League, the last one is trouble.

But, in a 2-1 Attack win over the Eastern Conference leading Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday night in Owen Sound, it was the first three qualities which were most noticeable.

“It’s a lot of pressure on the kid,” said Attack head coach Todd Gill following the game. “It seems the more he gets in there the more comfortable he’s getting . . . he gobbled up everything that came at him and that’s what we need.”

Guzda has been thrust into action twice this season, once after Zach Bowman’s departure and mmost recently following an injury to Olivier Lafreniere.

“It’s about always believing in yourself,” the rookie said after the game. “A lot of the game is mental and obviously confidence helps that.”

With so many veterans out of the lineup - Jonah Gadjovich, Sean Durzi, Zachary Roberts, and Chase Campbell - Gill and the Owen Sound Attack leaned heavy on the youth movement, and they were rewarded early against Hamilton.

Just over three minutes into the first period rookie Jackson Doherty scored his third goal of the season after Brett McKenzie dug a puck out of the corner to Daylon Groulx who found Doherty in front of the net. Doherty roofed a shot over the glove hand of Hamilton’s Kaden Fulcher to make it 1-0, Owen Sound.

The lead was short lived. Matthew Strome’s 26th of the season tied it just under ten minutes later. Will Bitten deflected a shot which squeaked between Mack Guzda’s blocker and leg inching ever so slowly toward the goal line. Strome was given credit for the goal after a video review showed his stick making contact with the puck during the ensuing net-front-free-for-all.

In the second period, Nick Suzuki’s first goal of the new year put the Attack back on top. Owen Sound’s leading scorer skated the puck over Hamilton’s blue line before crossing into the middle of the ice and firing a wrist shot, post-and-in, over Fulcher’s glove hand.

Owen Sound’s rookie goaltender had to be sharp to keep the Attack in the lead. After denying rookie sniper Arthur Kaliyev Guzda brought out the retro poke-check to keep the puck away from Nicholas Caamano as the forward barged in all alone.

At the other end of the ice Owen Sound had two chances to increase their lead, but Fulcher and perhaps some puck-luck kept the goal lamp turned off.

First, Suzuki, noticing Kevin Hancock racing past the defence, sent a puck the length of the ice. Suzuki must play billiards because the puck bounced out of the corner and right onto the stick of Hancock who deked forehand-backhand on the breakaway before being stymied by the sprawling right pad of Fulcher.

Then, Ethan Szypula corralled a rebound and made a move to his backhand past Fulcher. With nothing but net left to shoot at the over-age forward couldn’t get a good shot off and the puck rolled off his stick hitting the left post, sliding all the way across the goal line to the right post, and out.

The play was reviewed, to the horror of Attack fans, who were forced to watch multiple close-ups of a two-goal lead mere centimetres away from becoming a reality.

The Attack’s problems in the third period have been documented. It’s the only frame in which they don’t hold a positive goal differential against opponents this season. So, up one goal on a top-seeded team, no one at the Bayshore with allegiances to the Attack were comfortable heading into the final frame.

“Whether we’re up a goal or down a goal we can’t change the way we’re playing,” said Gill.

The Attack’s coach felt his team, when up, had a tendency to sit back, and, while down a goal, play too “individualistic,” leading to the third-period problems.

On Wednesday, the Attack played perhaps their best period of shutdown hockey of the season and kept the Bulldogs to a bark not a bite.

“Tonight we played our game,” Gill said of the period. “Our effort is not a problem. It’s our consistency and sometimes our execution that’s the problem. Tonight, those seemed to be on par with what we’re trying to achieve.”

Guzda was sharp in the final frame as well. With six seconds left on the clock the Bulldogs won an offensive zone face-off and worked to puck around quickly to the slot, but Guzda flashed the right leg and stopped the last chance of the game.

After the game Guzda spoke about taking everything one puck at a time while he fills in for the injured Lafreniere.

“I’m just trying to look at the small things,” he said. “I’m not thinking big picture.”

Guzda stopped 22 of the Bulldogs’ 23 shots while Fulcher got in front of 25 of the Attack’s 27 chances on goal.

The Attack will now turn their attention to an important two game weekend series against the Erie Otters, who remain only six points behind Owen Sound for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Puck drop on Saturday in Owen Sound is 7:30 p.m.

awful giveaway by phillips cost them the only goal against. last year those back hand,no look passes didnt exist, this year since training camp they have snuck back in, 9/10 they are to the other team.

The club was held to just 23 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Attack on Wednesday, its fifth in a row at Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. The last time the Bulldogs won at the rink was 2012, when they were still the Belleville Bulls.

Players and coaches often talk about how tough it is to play at the bouncy-boarded barn in Owen Sound — a small, aging and sometimes raucous space. For Matt Strome, though, that's no excuse.

"Wherever we play, whatever rink we're in, we have to play better than we did tonight," added the lone Bulldogs scorer.

It took less than four minutes for Jackson Doherty, an Ancaster native, to put the Attack on the board against his hometown team — the rookie's third goal of the season. But the lead didn't last long.

Before the end of the frame, Markus Phillips turned the puck over in his own zone to Ryan Moore. He took a shot, which was tipped past Mack Guzda by Will Bitten and then poked over the line by Strome.

Nick Suzuki put Owen Sound, the eighth place team in the Western Conference, back on top midway through the second with a wrist shot that fooled Kaden Fulcher. The Bulldogs goalie stopped everything that came his way after that, but it wasn't enough. Suzuki's first goal in seven games stood as the winner.

"I think we just let our foot off the gas," said Strome. "We couldn't really get back into it until the third and by that time it was too late."

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. They continue their road trip in Kingston Friday evening before closing out the weekend in Ottawa Saturday afternoon. Here's a look at what they're up against:

hockeyhockeyhockey wrote:Ironic Sylvie Peckoskie refers to the Lum as a small , aging building.

It was built in 1983. The Copp Collesium in Hamilton, 'new 'home to the Bulldogs, opened in 1985...

Copps is a big aging building.

The Bayshore is fine for now and for the future. All it needs is the occasional major or minor tweak. Ice could be better in the warmer weather. Looks solid enough to me. Could be slightly bigger....because I know a few folks who don't want to, won't, or can't stand up. Population in the area will be growing heavily in the next 20 years with baby boom retirees, people cashing in on city real estate, online business owners, people who want to get out of the rat race and can do so....and most of those folks will have spare time and money. Worry about the rink when the time comes and I think you'll find that the problem finds a solution.